It's a Bling Thing

Happy Monday, bloggers!  I have a little tutorial over at Gingersnap Creations showing how you add a little bling to your cards inspired by the look of those expensive rhinestone and pearl flourishes, only much more inexpensively.  I hope you can pop by and have a look.

Also, did you know Gingersnap Creations is having a Design Team Call?  If you think you might like to be a Ginger, click HERE for all the details.

 

Tag Tuesday - Postcards

This week's challenge at Tag Tuesday is Postcards - use a postcard, have the word postcard on your tag, etc.  It's a 2-week challenge this time, so there is plenty of time to play along.  I have desperately needed some challenges to try to summon my still-missing mojo!  I sit down to create something, and it's like it's advanced calculus or Greek or something - what a struggle!

Anyway, the deets: the beautiful image is from Paper Whimsy.  I covered a manila tag with Tim's tissue tape as a base.  Swiped some red ink across the bottom and added the lace trims.  The "postcard" stamp is from Stampin' Up!, and the butterflies are from Red Lead (colored them with Copics and popped them up a bit).  Also added a little red postage stamp and some flowers.  Things were looking kinda "blah", so I framed the image of the girl in script patterned paper, then went to work with some colored pencils to sorta define certain areas.  Finally had to just say "done."  After walking away from it for awhile, it's growing on me.  I might add some Rock Candy Stickles to the butterflies.  Or not.  Hmmmmm......

Hope your week is going well - stay warm, snow-free, artsy and crafty. ;) 

CR84FN 15 Color Challenge

I have been lurking around a new-to-me challenge for some weeks now, and I had some time to play today so decided to have a go.  The talented Mona Pendleton hosts the CR84FN Color Challenge each week, and this week's colors are so luscious I couldn't resist.  Here is the inspiration photo for CR84FN15: teal, green, and yellow are the soft-as-spring colors.  I had so much fun I made two cards.

The first one uses mainly stamps from Hampton Arts' new line that coordinates with Graphic 45's Once Upon a Springtime paper collection.  HAD TO HAVE THEM!  I limited myself to just three inks and five Copics (two teals, one green, one yellow, and one brown for her hair).  The butterfly is from House of 3's Parisian Anthology, and the swirl is from Impression Obsession.  I did a little shabby sewing to sew on an oval of crepe paper to give the fairy a background, then distressed the edges a bit.  Also added some shabby scraps zigzagged to the bottom of my little garden scene.

Next up, a one layer card - absolutely no cheating here, just a single cardstock card base and stamps were used.

I started to really get in to one layer cards after playing in a Gingersnap Creations Challenge.  Such a fun way to collage a bunch of your favorite images!  This card also uses the Parisian Anthology, Hampton Arts, and Impression Obsession stamps, and adds in a blue frame and sentiment from Artistic Outpost's new sets.  I just want to go decorate my house in these colors now, LOL!

Happy Friday everyone, and have a wonderful weekend.  We have five hockey games in three days (two professional, three amateur) and some volleyball practice thrown in.  I've got to figure out how to carry my stamps and ink and paper with me. ;)

Gingersnap Creations Random Redhead Challenge - Crowns

It's time for another Random Redhead Challenge over at Gingersnap Creations, and this month it's GC091 "Crowns".  I had lots of silly fun with this one, as you can see.  I got these glittery birds on wicked sale at Pottery Barn after Christmas, 'cuz they were just so "me."  I knew I wanted to give them all unique little nests, but I didn't know in what fashion.  Enter.... the Gingersnap Creations Crown challenge!

I stamped a crown from 7Gypsies Victoria stamp set three times, making sure to line up the edges just right (the stamps are clear, so this was easy).  I embossed the images in silver, then cut out the triple crown.  I then stamped and embossed on the back of the cut-out, too (it's almost symmetrical, so it worked out beautifully).  A little super tacky tape keeps it together.  I then gave my little Queen Birdie a nest from a 99-cent floral from Michael's, some cute stamped tags (Stampington), and some vintage sheet music and French text strips that I curled and glued into the flower at it's base.  She's going under a small garden cloche on my mantel.  Here's a close-up:

This is a fun challenge - so many stamp sets have a little crown in them somewhere, you might have one in your stash and not even know it.  It's also easy to just cut one out of patterned paper in any size you need, and stick it on any creature you have, LOL!  So come play along and link up your post at Gingersnap Creations. :) 

Snow Hugs!

I am so excited to be working with a brand new, hot-off-the-rubber-presses stamp plate from Rogue Redhead Designs called Snow Hugs!  As soon as I saw these images, I started thinking about using them in a pink/cream/kraft color scheme, and wouldn't you know, that's the color challenge this week over at The Play Date Cafe!  Sometimes the stars align, and I seriously needed this little twist of fortune to jump start my mojo, LOL!

The inspiration photo for PDCC68 makes my fingers itch to craft.  Have a look at this yummy image to the right:

So here are the how-to's for this card:  I first stamped the snuggling couple from Snow Hugs in gray ink on white cardstock.  I only wanted a hint of color, so I outlined only parts of the image with Copics in R81 (Rose Pink), YG91 (Putty), and E31 (Brick Beige).  I thought the background looked a bit too white, so it was E50 (Egg Shell) to the rescue.  A little tip I picked up over at Ellen Hutson's The CLASSroom.  I love that color - so warm and yummy.  I added a little dimension to the whole thing with Warm Grays W0 and W1.  (I also gave the guy's sweater a little pattern by masking and stamping the snowflake background motif just on his sweater.)

I cut the image out using Nestabilities' Curved Rectangles, and distressed the edges with Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, and Victorian Velvet.  It's layered on some vintage sheet music, and a coffee filter panel that I misted with Pink Bubblegum and Creme de Rouge from Tattered Angels.  The next background panel is made by stamping two of the background images from the set onto linen textured cardstock.  

The tag is stamped with more distress inks, then run through my Xyron sticker maker and glittered with Stampin' Ups' Diamond Dust - like icy, frosty new snow.  A little crinkled seam binding snuggles everything together.

Sharon has lots of gorgeous examples using this new plate over at Rogue Redhead Designs blog, and there's tons of inspiration to be had using this color scheme over at The Play Date Cafe.  I'm feelin' it.... comin' back.... gonna go play some more in my little crafty space.  Have a great weekend! :)  

Tag Tuesday Double Tagged

Sheesh! It's been forever.... first I was busy, then I was sick (just a nasty cold, but it lingered and made me extremely fatigued), and by then my mojo was gone.  I still haven't found it, not even a hint of it.  But I had to do *something*, so I inked up some new stamps - Artistic Outpost's Think and Wonder plate - and entered Louise's Tag Tuesday Challenge, which is to put a tag (or tags) on our tag.  Very fun!

This did not turn out at all as I'd planned (and saying that I even had a plan is very generous!).  The background is paint on vintage text, distressed and stamped with a Stampington swirl.  The image and words are from the AO plate.  I colored the girl with pencils and Copics.  The rest is ribbon, rub-ons, pearls.  Not happy with it, but I've got to try to get back in the game somehow!  You can check out some truly gorgeous artwork over at Kard Krazy. :)

Kings and Queens at Gingersnap Creations

It's time for another Chestnut Theme Challenge over at Gingersnap Creations, and this week it's Kings and Queens.  Put on your thinking crown and give us the royal treatment!  There are lots of design team samples over there to get you started.  I pulled out a (sadly) retired Cornish Heritage Farms set for my card, adding just a touch of bling to my Queen.  The papers are ancient, but I wanted to simulate the royal castle, with it's gilded trim and fancy wall treatments.  And "You Rule" - for a special day - maybe a birthday. ;)

Hope you'll have time to play along!